Ludvig Kristensen Daa (19 August 1809 – 12 June 1877) was a Norwegian historian, ethnologist, auditor, editor of magazines and newspapers, educator and politician.

Background

He was born as Ludvig Christensen Daae in

Saltdal Saltdal ( sme, Sálát) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rognan. Other villages in Saltdal include Røkland and Løn ...

to vicar Christen Daae (1776–1854) and Elisabeth Marie Friis (1785–1865). The family moved to

Jølster Jølster is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Skei. Other villages in the municipality included Helgheim, Ålhus, Vass ...

in 1817. At the age of thirteen, Daa started at the

Bergen Cathedral School Bergen Cathedral School (Norwegian: ''Bergen Katedralskole'', Latin: ''Schola Cathedralis Bergensis'', formerly known as Bergens lærdeskole and Bergen latinskole and colloquially known as Katten) is an upper secondary school in Bergen, Norway. Loc ...

and took the

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

later as a private candidate. After a period as a private teacher in

Christian Krohg Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motifs from everyday life. He was the director and s ...

's family in 1828 he enrolled at the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

. Here he was a leader in the

Norwegian Students' Society Norwegian Students' Society ( no, Det Norske Studentersamfund) is Norway's oldest student society. The Norwegian Students' Society was established during 1813 in Oslo, Norway. Two years after the Royal Frederick University (today named the Univer ...

, and sided with

Henrik Wergeland Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...

in the dispute with

Johan Sebastian Welhaven Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven (22 December 1807 – 21 October 1873) was a Norwegian author, poet, critic, and art theorist. He has been considered "one of the greatest figures in Norwegian literature." Background Johan Welhaven was born ...

. The group of which Daae was a part celebrated the

Norwegian Constitution Day Constitution Day is the national day of Norway and is an official public holiday observed on 17 May each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to as ''Syttende Mai'' ("Seventeenth of May"), ''Nasjonaldagen'' ("National Day"), or ''Grunnlo ...

in 1829, a notable event. In 1830 he Norwegianized his name from Daae to Daa. He graduated with the cand.philol. degree in 1834, was hired as a substitute

docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...

for Steenbloch in 1836 and 1837, due to Steenbloch's illness and subsequent death. In 1837 Daa could have been appointed as the new professor, but Welhaven associate

Peter Andreas Munch Peter Andreas Munch (15 December 1810 – 25 May 1863), usually known as P. A. Munch, was a Norwegian historian, known for his work on the medieval history of Norway. Munch's scholarship included Norwegian archaeology, geography, ethnography, ...

was chosen. In 1840

Anton Martin Schweigaard Anton Martin Schweigaard (11 April 1808 – 1 February 1870) was a Norwegian educator, jurist, economist and member of the Norwegian Parliament. Background Schweigaard was born at Kragerø in Telemark, Norway. He was one of three children of J� ...

got another post that Daa wanted, as professor of economics and statistics.

Career

Daa held multiple jobs; he worked as a

state auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...

from 1839 to 1851,

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...

archivist from 1841, columnist in ''

Morgenbladet ''Morgenbladet'' is a Norwegian weekly, newspaper, covering politics, culture and science. History ''Morgenbladet'' was founded in 1819 by the book printer Niels Wulfsberg. The paper is the country's first daily newspaper; however, Adresseavi ...

'' from 1839 to 1847 and '' Christiania-Posten'' from 1848 to 1851, and publisher of the magazine ''Granskeren'' from 1840 to 1843. In 1840–1841 he ran afoul with

, who wrote the farces ''Engelsk Salt'' and ''Vinægers Fjeldeventyr'' (both 1841) about Daa. Daa replied with anonymous attacks in ''Granskeren'', whereas Wergeland was convicted of libel. In 1842 Wergeland released the poem ''Fordums-Venner'' about Daa. Daa and Wergeland later reconciled. Daa was elected to the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

from the constituency

Akershus Amt Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

in 1842 and 1845. He became an important oppositional politician, and among others helped repel the ban on

conventicle A conventicle originally signified no more than an assembly, and was frequently used by ancient writers for a church. At a semantic level ''conventicle'' is only a good Latinized synonym of the Greek word church, and points to Jesus' promise in M ...

s in 1842. He was also a proponent of ministerial responsibility, the access of ministers to Parliament and the access of Jews to Norway. In his second term he became President of the Odelsting. However, he ran afoul with the socially conservative farmer representatives. He was re-elected in 1848 from the constituency

Søndre Bergenhus Amt Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Municipal ...

(now Hordaland), but he was later found to be non-eligible for election from that constituency. While waiting for the next election, he issued the periodical ''Den norske Tilskuer'', and also worked at Christiania Cathedral School. From 1853 to 1856 he was the editor of ''Christiania-Posten'', and in 1853 he was elected to Parliament for the last time, from Christiania. He was not re-elected again, despite trying in every election until 1873. The rector of Christiania Cathedral School wanted to have Daa removed, and in 1862 he was appointed as lecturer at the University. He was promoted to professor in 1866, and had been the director of the Ethnographic Museum since 1863. As a professor, in 1868 he managed to denounce Peter Andreas Munch and

Rudolf Keyser Rudolf Keyser (1 January 1803 – 9 October 1864) was a Norwegian historian, archaeologist and educator. Biography Jakob Rudolf Keyser was born in Christiania, now Oslo, Norway. He was the son of Bishop Johan Michael Keyser ( 1749–1810) an ...

theory on immigration to Norway The theory on immigration to Norway ( no, innvandringsteorien) refers to a theory on the origin of the Norwegian people. The theory is mainly associated with Rudolf Keyser, and developed by Peter Andreas Munch. Theory Following studies in Icelan ...

. He was a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...

, the

Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters ( da, Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab, DKNVS) is a Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The s ...

and the

Royal Society of Sciences and Letters in Gothenburg The Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskaps- och Vitterhets-Samhället i Göteborg, abbreviated KVVS and often known simply as ''Samhället'') is a Swedish Royal Academy. Its predecessor was founded in Gothenburg ...

, and received the honorary degree at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Order of St. Olav in 1866. His works soon became passé, though, as

Ernst Sars Johan Ernst Welhaven Sars (11 October 1835 – 27 January 1917) was a Norwegian professor, historian, author and editor. His main work was ''Udsigt over den norske Historie'', four volumes issued from 1873 to 1891. He co-edited the magazines ...

became the dominating historian in Norway, to quite a degree for political reasons.

Personal life

Daa lost his wife Julie Christence Augusta Henriksen (1823–1842) in August 1842; they had only been married since November 1840. Daae was married for the second time, in August 1848 to Pernille Kobroe Daae (1821–1911). He was also a first cousin of priest and politician Claus Nils Holtzrod Daae, and a first cousin once removed of jurist and politician Ludvig Daae, historian and politician

Ludvig Ludvigsen Daae Ludvig Ludvigsen Daae (7 December 1834 – 17 March 1910) was a Norwegian historian and author. He was a professor at the University of Oslo for more than thirty years. Biography He was born in Aremark in Østfold and died in Kristiania (now Oslo) ...

, customs inspector Iver Munthe Daae and Suzannah Daae Ibsen. He died in June 1877 in Kristiania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daa, Ludvig Kristensen 1809 births 1877 deaths Politicians from Oslo People educated at the Bergen Cathedral School University of Oslo alumni Academic staff of the University of Oslo 19th-century Norwegian historians Norwegian ethnologists Norwegian newspaper editors Norwegian magazine editors Norwegian accountants Norwegian archivists Norwegian educators Norwegian columnists Members of the Storting Akershus politicians Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters 19th-century Norwegian journalists Male journalists 19th-century Norwegian male writers Members of the Royal Society of Sciences and Letters in Gothenburg People from Saltdal